Air Quality and Your Horse

What a week it has been in Los Angeles... and we're still not out of the woods!

Whether you were directly impacted by these fires or not, we're ALL having to breathe in some pretty terrible air right now!

Unhealthy air containing wildfire smoke and particulates can cause health problems in people and animals. Particulates from smoke tend to be very small, which allows them to reach the deepest airways within the lungs. This can cause respiratory issues for horses. They may experience reduced lung function and difficulty breathing.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a great tool to refer to! The AQI is used to gauge exercise and athletic event recommendations for human athletes. We can use it to help make smart decisions for equine athletes, as well!

The National Collegiate Athletic Association lists the following recommendations on their website: “Specifically, schools should consider removing sensitive athletes from outdoor practice or competition venues at an AQI over 100. At AQIs of over 150, all athletes should be closely monitored. All athletes should be removed from outdoor practice or competition venues at AQIs of 200 or above.”

Your horse is an athlete! And so are you! Consider the AQI scale - higher than 100? Take it easy. Higher than 150? Maybe consider not riding... Higher than 200? No riding!

If your horse was exposed to severe smoke inhalation, give him plenty of time to recover.

Airway damage from wildfire smoke takes 4-6 weeks to heal. Attempting exercise may aggravate his already damaged airway, delay the healing process, and could even compromise your horse’s performance for many weeks or months to come. It is recommended that horses return to exercise no sooner than 2 weeks post smoke-inhalation, following the clearance of the atmosphere of all smoke.

An extra word of caution:

The AQI does not take into account certain gases, particles, and contaminants associated with wildfires in urban areas.

In these recent Los Angeles fires, thousands of houses, cars, and other man-made materials went up in flames. These structures and are jam-packed with toxic materials and substances. Homes and office buildings contain mattresses, couches and other synthetic materials. These buildings also contain appliances, coolant fluids, metal wiring, asbestos, lead paint, and more. These toxic pollutants are now in the air... and will continue to be for quite some time.

Do consider your barn's proximity to these fires in addition to checking the AQI.

Other ways to help your horse:

• Limit dust exposure by feeding dust-free hay or soak hay before feeding. This can help reduce those particles may be difficult to clear from the lungs.

• Be sure to provide plenty of fresh water. Dry airways allow nasty particles to stick in the lungs and air passages. Water keeps the airways moist and facilitates clearance of inhaled particulate matter.

How are you guys and your horses hanging in there?

Do you have any other tips or tricks for dealing with terrible air quality?

Tell me in the comments!